


Love Puts On A New Face

by setissma



Series: Polaris (Triad Version) [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 08:41:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9064564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/setissma/pseuds/setissma
Summary: The only certainty in life is that nothing is certain.





	

It had, Harry reflected, been a very long few days. Hermione and Fleur and Molly had all been reassuring that the first baby was the hardest, and although Sirius had been sort of brutal, according to Pansy, he’d decided to make his arrival in under two hours, which Harry had approved of quite a lot in the grand scheme of things. _This_ hadn’t been nearly so delightful – Pansy had been in labor for three days, though Lexington had stuck approximately forty monitoring charms on her and told them that there was no point in coming in until the labor had actually _gone_ somewhere, at which point Harry had learned that Lexington – very wisely, in his opinion – wore a warding necklace to prevent hexes.

“Really, Pansy, it’s not as if we haven’t been here before,” she’d said, rolling her eyes, and had only avoided getting hexed again by a convenient contraction.

Pansy was mostly irritable because the baby wasn’t doing much with her magic, though Gemma hadn’t exactly thrown fits about coming into the world; that seemed to be a rather exclusively Malfoy sort of trait.

Still, Harry had not been a fan of _all_ the charms going off at once in the middle of Sunday dinner, though he was still relatively grateful for Bill roaring off everyone but Hermione, the girls, and him and Draco. Bill and Fleur had Sirius, and Victorie and Teddy had volunteered to stay behind with Remy so he’d have a playmate, even if “playing” mostly consisted of chucking blocks at one another’s heads these days.

“I’m _fine_ ,” Pansy had said, repeatedly, which Harry hadn’t believed for a minute, especially not once they got to the hospital and Lexington said, “Well, probably going to be a long night.”

“Girls, I love you, but you’re going home,” he said, firmly. “Your choice on the castle or Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione’s.”

“Absolutely not,” Alcyone said.

“We’re not leaving mum,” Gemma said, equally firmly.

“Look,” Draco said, crouching. “This isn’t any fun for any of us, and I know you’re older than when Sirius was born, but your mother is going to be miserable for a while.” He kissed each of their foreheads. “Let us worry about her and the baby, all right?”

“Really, dad –“ Alcyone had started, and then Sorcha had caught sight of Kit prowling out of Pansy’s room and yipped; she’d been spending more time as a fox lately.

“Going,” Sorcha said. “We are going home right now. To Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione’s to be with Sirius and the baby.” She grabbed Alcyone’s wrist in her teeth, pulling.

“Definitely going,” Kerr agreed, turning into a smaller version of Kit and hooking all his claws in Gemma’s skirt. “Right now, Gem.”

“She wants you two,” Kit said, tail lashing back and forth. “Hermione will come wait for Ron to collect them. And if you don’t listen to your fathers, I’m not going to be best pleased.”

“Sorry, Kit,” Alcyone said, and he gave her a singular look and turned around.

“He wasn’t like that when I came to see after Sirius,” Alcyone said, looking extremely dubious. “Is mum going to be all right?”

“And he was just like that when you were born and nearly bit me four times and dad about six,” Harry said, firmly, nudging her. “Some babies are easier than others. Now sit.”

Hermione came out of Pansy’s room, brushing her hair off her face. She managed a smile. “I don’t think the baby’s in any hurry,” she said. “It’s all right, girls, your mum’s fine. Dr. Lexington is with her right now.”

“All right,” Gemma said. “But we can come in the morning when the baby is born, right?”

“Absolutely,” Harry promised, kissing her forehead, then Aly’s. Sorcha had shrunk back into a mouse, but Thaxia didn’t say anything. “Go on. We’ll let you know as soon as anything happens.”

“I’ll be back,” Hermione said, kissing Harry’s cheek. “Love you. Er – don’t get too close to Kit.”

“I’d gathered,” Draco said, dryly.

Harry made sure the girls were firmly around the corner before they let themselves in, which was rather good, since Pansy was white as a sheet and Lexington was examining her.

“Hello, Professor Potter, Professor Malfoy,” she said. “Well, the good news is, nothing’s wrong.”

“Like hell,” Pansy said. “She says they can’t give me more painkillers because it might slow her breathing down.”

“Yes, but she’s perfectly all right, Pansy,” Lexington said, gently. “She’s a little stressed from how long this has been going on, but that’s normal in prolonged labor, and we’ve got every monitor on her. Nothing’s even close to borderline for her _or_ you.”

“And the bad news?” Draco said.

“I can’t give Pansy any real pain relief until I’m happier with where the baby’s at,” she said. “So I suppose we’re all in for a lovely evening. Aside from my very useless daemon, who’s decided the best option for long shifts is sleeping in my pocket.”

“Well?” Thaxia said. “Get her some ice chips or something, don’t be utterly useless, Harry.” She crept up on the bed rail. “Touch or no touch?”

“No touch, thank you,” Pansy said, and managed a tired smile. “Well, all right, at the foot of the bed.”

“Okay,” Thaxia said, settling near one of her feet. “Kit, I’ll feel them for us.”

“I’m doing that perfectly well on my own,” Kit said, irritably.

Harry went to rummage in the cupboard that went to the cafeteria, finding a cup of ice chips, and brought it back to Pansy. “I’m guessing if Thaxia can’t touch I oughtn’t either,” he said.

“No, I’m liable to murder you,” Pansy said. “Given that you _got_ me in this bloody state.”

“Hey, I only provided fifty percent of the effort here,” Harry said, and ducked when Pansy flicked her wand at him.

“Best _not_ provoke our radiantly beautiful wife who is having our child,” Draco said, trying not to laugh, and Pansy made a noise and threw a hex at him too, though she hit a potted plant that had also clearly been spelled for protection against such things.

“You two are bloody awful, and I want Hermione,” she said, with a sigh. “ _She_ understands.”

“Yes, well, men,” Draco said, ducking again. “We’re going to play chess. _Like usual_. And if you want one of us to rub your back or to crush all the bones in one of our hands through contractions, then just yell.”

“Shh,” Thaxia said. “They’ll just annoy you. You’re better off with us and Hermione anyway. But I’ll bite anyone you’d like.”

“Thank you, Thaxia,” Pansy said, laughing a little before she winced again.

Hermione came back a few minutes later with several thermoses of coffee. “I see they’re being exceptionally helpful,” she said.

“No, it’s all right,” Pansy said. “You know how it is. They won’t wait in the waiting room, but if they’re over there complaining about rooks and things, I’m less likely to cast the killing curse at either of them.”

“I would just like to state for the record that I have sat through this seven times in the last seventeen years or so, and I’m exactly as useless as I was the first time,” Harry said, dryly. “Though I did keep Teddy from fainting, I suppose that was useful.”

“Neither one of you had better pull any of that nonsense,” Pansy warned. “He’s a Hufflepuff, they have weak constitutions.”

Hermione snorted. “Victorie, as the person who has been in labor most recently, says she’d like you to know that she’ll come any time.”

“Is that weird?” Pansy said. “Remy being older than her – whatever bloody relation the baby is?”

“No,” Hermione said, laughing. “You’re only eighteen years older than she is and this is your fourth.”

“Oh, _fuck_ ,” Pansy said.

“Hand?” Hermione said.

“Hand,” Pansy said, firmly.

“And that’s your pawn,” Harry said.

“Yes, but that’s your knight,” Draco said, cheerfully.

Lexington came back an hour later, looking at some printouts. “Well, everything’s still perfectly all right,” she said.

“Oh no you don’t,” Pansy said. “I know that look, it’s when you hadn’t done the reading. What aren’t you saying?”

“I don’t particularly like that nothing’s going anywhere,” Lexington said. “You’re not any more dilated, your contractions aren’t coming closer together, and the baby’s not in any sort of distress, but nothing’s telling me she’d really like to get this going, either.”

“Fabulous,” Pansy said. “Honestly, this is the _fourth_ , it’s not as if I’m of any sort of advanced maternal age, and Sirius came really bloody fast. So you’d be straight with me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you? Because I don’t like it either.”

“Look,” Lexington said. “Every baby is different. Every baby’s magic is different. I’ve been at this more than a decade, and I know when something’s not right.” She leaned to kiss Pansy’s forehead, in an uncharacteristic display of affection. “And you’re one of my favorite people, so you know I’m going to keep closer watch on you than any other patient.”

“Hah,” Pansy said. “You’re only saying that because you still fancy Harry, Pippa.”

“Oh, always,” she said, with a grin. “I’m not worried yet, so you shouldn’t be either. If nothing’s happened in another hour, we’ll get you a potion to increase the contractions to see if we can’t hurry her along a bit.”

“Oh, _good_ ,” Kit said, with a unhappy sigh.

“We have a whole hour, she might be mostly born by then,” Thaxia said, firmly. “Sirius only took two.”

“Smart girl,” Lexington said. “Harry, you’re about to lose your other knight, Draco’s rook is talking him into defecting.”

“That’s hardly fair,” Draco complained, and Lexington laughed.

“Please, he needs all the help he can get against you,” she said. “You cheat.”

“Slytherin,” Draco said, mildly.

“Yes, well, you outnumber him four to one at this point,” Lexington said, laughing.

“Remy will join my team,” Harry said, laughing. “Or at least, she’d better.”

“Worst obstetrician ever,” Pansy said, but she was laughing a little. “Pippa, is that a ring?”

“Oh, bugger,” she said. “I usually go off shift, so I started getting ready, but I’m not leaving you with someone else.”

“You really don’t have to –“ Pansy said.

“Abso-bloody-lutely not,” Draco said, firmly. “Pippa, that is kind and generous of you and we will accept your offer and share our coffee and send you potions and buy you dinner.”

“Agreed,” Harry said. “You’ve delivered the other three, we can’t leave this one to some inferior doctor.”

“Oh, all right, I don’t really want you to go anywhere either,” Pansy admitted. “But _you’ve_ got a diamond.”

“Yes, all right, King finally wore me down last week,” Lexington said, laughing. “We’re getting married next winter, of course you’re all invited, but Pansy’s gone and been observant and ruined the news.”

“Oh, thank god, an additional Gryffindor,” Harry said. “Good choice, Pippa.”

“Yes, very,” Pansy agreed. “I like him. He’s very stab –“

“You have to actually _breathe_ for that to help, you know,” Hermione said. 

“Stable,” Pansy said, finally, looking rather pale. “Pippa, are you absolutely positive the baby’s all right? Because this hurts like hell.”

“It’s labor, Pansy, if it were fun they’d call it eating cake,” Lexington said, dryly. “But I’m going to go see about some options, all right? I don’t want you in this sort of pain if we’re making the contractions more intense, it’ll stress you and the baby and Kitcaron.”

“Oh, good, she’s got to go _research_ ,” Pansy said, thumping her head back against the pillow. “Squidlet four, it is time to get your act together and exit the premises.”

“Don’t hex me,” Harry warned, coming over to wring out a washcloth to wipe her forehead. He pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “Draco?”

“Yeah, here,” he said.

“Cast –“ Harry said, and he could suddenly see all the magic.

“I don’t like that,” he said.

“I don’t either, watch it through a contraction,” Draco said. “Pansy, if you lie to me, I’m not going to be happy, how much pain are you actually in?”

“I already said it hurts like hell,” she said. “Worse than Sirius, and he was the worst of the three. Well – Alcyone was at first, but it was only because I’d never felt it before.” She looked worried. “What’s wrong?”

“Your magic’s sort of folding in on itself, like it’s trying to block the worst of it,” Harry said, gently, leaning to kiss her forehead. “And the baby’s been – sort of a gold this whole time, you know, but it’s like she’s grabbed yours.”

“Well, yes, she’s been doing that the whole time,” Pansy said, irritably. “It’s what our utterly useless children do during pregnancy, they swipe magic.”

“Not quite like this,” Harry said. “But I don’t know what’s normal, all right? Draco, get Pippa?”

“Right back,” he said.

Pansy bit her lip through another contraction, and Hermione stroked Pansy’s hair off her forehead. “Thaxia?” she said. “Why don’t you and Kit and Lethe come here. See if you can make the baby more comfortable, her daemon isn’t separate yet, but he’ll know you’re there.”

“Yes,” Thaxia said, firmly, curling against Pansy’s side. “Squidlet four, quit being so much trouble. We’d just like to meet you.”

Hermione folded down the railing on the bed, letting Lethe squeeze in, and Kit went to Pansy’s other side. “Right, I’ll just –“ Harry said, expanding the bed, and Kit climbed up next to Pansy, putting his head on her shoulder. 

“This whole having babies thing is rather stressful, you know,” he said. “I mean, I suppose we love them and they’re worth it, but she’s not worth it _yet_.”

Pansy laughed softly. “You don’t really think so,” she said, lying her cheek against the top of his head. “You love them already like we do.”

“Yes, well, I love you more, and you hurt,” Kit said, nuzzling her.

“Draco says there’s something with the magic,” Lexington said, coming back in. “He’s waiting with a nurse to bring me a few things. We’ve got a monitor on that, but I’ll look too, all right? Harry? You and Draco invented that spell, if I recall correctly, so you’ll have to do it.”

“Sure,” Harry said, and Lexington leaned in, taking out her wand to cast a few spells. “Pansy, how long did you say you’d been having the Braxton-Hicks?”

“I mean, off and on all month, but more the last week,” she said.

“I think you’ve actually been in labor a while longer than we thought,” Lexington said, with a sigh. “And by now you’re in enough pain that your magic’s actually numbing the nerve signals.”

“The baby?” Pansy said. “Is she okay?”

“Just fine for now, but it’s no good that it’s stalled out like this,” Lexington said. “I’m going to use a nerve blocking spell and give you that potion and I was going to wait, but I think I need to break your water for you, all right?”

“Okay,” Pansy said, looking uncertain.

“And once I’ve done that, you can’t stay in labor forever, so it may be a c-section,” she said. “But it’s normal, I do them all the time.”

She reached to squeeze Pansy’s hand. “I would trust you if it were defensive magic, you’ve got to trust me on babies,” she said. “All right?”

“I do,” Pansy said, then sighed, reaching for Harry’s hand. “Hermione? Is it all right if it’s just us for a bit? I’m probably going to start screaming my head off.”

Hermione laughed softly. “Yeah, of course,” she said. “I’ll be in the waiting room with – whomever is out there, we’re taking shifts.”

“That’s sweet,” Pansy said, managing a smile. “Tell whomever it is I love them.”

“I will,” Hermione said.

Pansy leaned into his touch, making a face. “Please don’t tell Draco, but I’m sort of scared,” she said.

Harry laughed softly. “Welcome to being us, every single bloody time,” he said. “But we’re right here, and Lexington’s the best there is, and you’re going to be just fine, all right?”

“Harry, you’re supposed to – I don’t know, be our token Gryffindor at me,” Pansy said. “Tell me to buck up and bear it and it’ll all be fine.”

“Well, it will all be fine,” Harry reassured her. “Apparently she’s just decided that she needed _both_ our stubborn streaks.”

Pansy laughed for a second. “You would,” she said. “It’s like you said, we’ve got me and Draco and you and Draco, I suppose eventually you and me had to happen. Was that really the wisest choice?”

“I dunno, the fireworks are still pretty spectacular even after all these years,” Harry teased, gently, kissing her temple. “I love you. And the baby. Though I’m going to let Kit give her a talking to once she’s out of there.”

“Right, time for the fun bit,” Lexington said, coming back in with Draco behind her, in her usual gown and gloves. “I’ve gone over it with Draco and we think a potion’s safer than a spell, but you know what that means.”

“If anyone had told me there were this many bloody needles involved in childbirth, I’d have never had sex again,” Pansy muttered. “You’ll want my back, won’t you? Can I roll and hold on to Kit?”

“Yes, and I’ll numb you up first, but it’s still going to burn a bit,” she said.

“By a bit she means you’re going to want someone’s hand to break,” Draco said, standing on her other side. “Sorry, love. But I made this batch, so I know it’s good.”

“He gets to do all our really tricky ones,” Lexington said.

“And I did not go anywhere near it,” Harry said. “I’m guessing you want some help.”

“Yes, please, your lack of need for a wand is rather useful,” Lexington said, drawing up a rather lurid purple lotion from a vial. “How well do you know you your anatomy markers?”

“He does a lot of dissection,” Draco said, dryly. “Don’t count him out.”

“Well, not on people, but I’ve got it,” Harry said.

“Okay, so I’m going to feel out where I’m going in, and then you’re going to numb just as deep as the needle, no deeper,” she said. “The potion’s going to go in past the point of where you’re keeping it numb. If you’re covering that, you’re too deep. If she happens to have a contraction, which she shouldn’t yet, we’ll all just hold still and ride it out.”

“Right, easy,” Harry muttered, spreading a hand on Pansy’s upper back. “Okay, go on, I’ve got it.”

“And in, good,” Lexington said.

“Ow,” Pansy said. “Ow, ow, ow - _bloody fucking hell_.” 

“All done with that bit,” Lexington said. “Any better? Harry, I’ll have you check her magic in a few minutes, see if that’s loosening up any.”

“Actually, yes,” Pansy said. “Though I’m waiting for the next contraction to say anything for sure.”

“Drink this, sadly, there’s no pretending it’s not going to taste like cinnamon flavored pond muck,” Lexington said, hanging over a vial and a cup. “Mouthwash for after.”

“I really –“ Pansy said, and gritted her teeth, grabbing Draco’s hand again, but when she relaxed, she looked significantly less stressed. “That feels a lot more like normal contractions. Not like my entire body’s about to break in half.”

“Good girl,” Lexington said. “Right, you lot go up there, Pansy, little bit of pressure but it shouldn’t hurt.” She laughed. “Like you don’t know what your water breaking feels like.”

“Yeah, you’d hope so,” Pansy said, dryly. “At least these two can’t panic over it if it happens _here_.”

“Potion,” Lexington reminded her, stripping off her gloves.

“Right,” Pansy said, then made a face, going for the mouthwash. “Oh, that’s _foul_.”

“You were warned,” Lexington said, laughing. “I’ll be back to check in a bit, okay? You ought to have more contractions and they ought to be stronger, but they shouldn’t hurt like before. But we’re on a clock, so nobody panic on me if we need to get her out, all right? No need to start worrying about that yet, but just so everyone has fair warning.”

“Noted,” Draco said.

“How will it work with the daemon?” Thaxia said, sounding a little concerned.

“Same way as usual,” Lexington said. “Give her five minutes to recover a bit, then you’ll get the unformed shape, then it’ll pick something, then you’ve got your very own baby and your very own baby daemon.”

“Okay,” Thaxia said. “Baby, time to come out so we don’t have to learn anything new.”

“Accio squidlet,” Draco joked, though he looked worried.

“You stay with her, hang on,” Harry said, grabbing Lexington in the hall. “Pippa. That’s my family in there. Is something wrong? Why this isn’t going like the other three?”

“Harry, she’s my mentor and friend,” Lexington said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m honest with my patients even if it’s the worst possible news. There’s no logical reason why this one’s a bit rocky, she’s full term, it’s been a healthy pregnancy, she’s delivered three babies before, I’d have expected it to go even faster than Sirius. But the one thing you learn when you do this is that there’s nothing logical about the process of having children, and babies, particularly ones with powerful parents like you and Pansy and Draco, tend to break the rules more often than they follow them. But right now she’s fine, and the baby’s fine, and I wish the magic in this field were more advanced, but it’s just… complicated. You’re bringing a life into the world and a piece of it is forming itself as you go. There’s nothing easy about that.”

“But you’re not worried,” Harry said, looking at her.

“I am not worried,” Lexington said, firmly. “Now go be with Pansy, she’s going to be miserable for a while.”

“Okay,” Harry said. “Thanks, Pippa.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, with a smile.

Draco was cursing under his breath and muttering an icing charm at his hand when Harry came back in.

“Your turn,” he said. “Pansy, the whole broken hand thing isn’t meant to be _literal_.”

“Fuck off,” Pansy said, panting a little. “Would you rather do this part?”

“No, he would not,” Harry said, firmly, leaning next to Kit, who looked utterly miserable.

“It’s okay,” he said, stroking Kit’s head, and got a grumble in response, though he leaned into it.

“Hi,” Thaxia said, peering at Pansy’s stomach. “I’m going to be the one who helps keep you in line, and right now you’re not being very in line at all, so get on it. Your older siblings can testify that you do not want to mess with us.”

“You’re really quiet, Lethe,” Pansy said, reaching for her head.

“Stressed,” she said. “But it’s okay if everything’s okay.”

“Just fine,” Harry said, stroking Pansy’s hair. He smiled. “Gryffindors are decent under pressure, it’s why you keep us around.”

“That’s probably it,” Pansy said, panting through another contraction. “She’s gotten all magnetized to my magic or something and doesn’t want to leave.”

“Or we drew a delivery that’s a bit worse than the others out of the deck,” Harry said. “You want more pillows? Cooling charms?”

“I want this stupid baby to be born,” Pansy managed. “But yes, more pillows would be good.”

Lexington came back half an hour later, examined Pansy, and made a face.

“Oh, good,” Pansy said. “That’s just what you want to see.”

“Everything’s fine,” Lexington said. “But I wish this were a little more clear cut. You’re progressing, but at this rate, I can’t tell you whether it’s going to take an hour or eight before you’re all the way there, and given the way this thing’s been going, I’m leaning toward eight. And if we give it that long, it’s a hell of a lot of stress on the baby and given that you were in early labor so long, I’m not sure you’ll have the energy for it.”

“I would love to argue that I’ll _find_ some, it’s my baby, but I’m already exhausted,” Pansy said. “So if I have to find some, I’ll find some, but you sound like you don’t like that option.”

“I don’t,” Lexington agreed. “Right now, you’re in decent shape even if you’re tired, the baby’s fine if incredibly bloody stubborn, no signs of distress, so I’m not going to be in a giant rush getting her out, and you’ll tolerate everything better than you will after eight more hours of labor.”

“Ugh,” Pansy said. “All right, final term question, if you were me?”

“I’d think there was a smart way and a stubborn way, and I’d take the smart way,” Lexington said. “There are always risks with surgery, but I think they’re less than the risks with leaving her to her own devices right now.”

“Votes?” Pansy said.

“Surgery if it’s safe,” Harry said, firmly. 

“I’m with him unless you’ve got extreme hesitations or Lexington does,” Draco said. “She knows more than I do.”

“I think this is the right call, I’ve done hundreds, I’m good at it but not cocky, and I’d like to get in there and intervene while it’s still a choice and not an emergency,” she said. “But I’ll be brutally honest, I can’t quite figure out what’s going on here. It could be one of plenty of completely benign things that I can fix in two seconds once you’re open and can’t fix at all if you’re not.”

“Like?” Draco said, warily.

“Every one in a while I’ll have a baby whose daemon isn’t quite the same gestational age,” Lexington said. “It can catch up in a hurry, but it usually takes a bit of coaxing from the parents’ daemons once the baby’s out. I don’t _think_ that’s what’s going on here, but –“ She laughed. “Childbirth is messy and bloody well complicated enough without magic, it’s a whole hell of a lot harder with it. So, Pansy?”

“Yeah, I’m with them, let’s make sure she’s fine,” Pansy said, squeezing Harry’s hand. “Can one of the nurses let whomever’s in the waiting room know? And, er, say it in a fashion that isn’t going to lead to anyone panicking?”

“I only hire exceptional people,” Lexington said, laughing. “Come on. Let’s get you all gowned up. And more drugs.”

“I like drugs,” Pansy said, gratefully.

It took what felt like forever before they were in the operating theater, and Lexington paused. “I suppose if I said we usually only let one person in, you’d both try to punch me at once and then she’d murder me and there’d be no one to deliver the baby, right?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Draco said.

“He sort of goes for curses, but that’d be the idea,” Harry agreed. “We’ll squeeze if we have to. Leaving’s not an option.”

“Thanks,” Pansy said, softly.

“You’re daft,” Draco said, fondly. “Like we’re letting you have our baby without us.”

“Right, Kit, you get your own table,” Lexington said, laughing. “I suppose this’ll be a bit easier if I’m ever in this position, the benefits of only having one husband and a small daemon. Lethe, Thaxia, as far out of the way as you can, you’ll want to be over near the nurses. It’s the same thing as the last three times, just… a bit more cutting. And I’d _really_ advise no one step through the privacy screen I’m about to put up, I know it’s weird not to be able to see half of Pansy, but I assure you, it’ll be more pleasant for everyone than seeing her intestines.”

“Oh, no, they know the rules,” Pansy said, firmly. “They do not look below my shoulders until the baby is born and away enough from me to be seen or they’re both getting killed.”

“Right, Pansy, this is pretty old school, honestly,” Lexington admitted. “We’ve borrowed a lot from muggles. But honestly, Draco would probably tell you the same thing, you can plant seeds with your wand but you probably should use a shovel, and I could deliver babies with spells, but the scalpel is much better.”

“Oh, goody, knives,” Pansy said, with a sigh. One of the nurses tried not to laugh.

“So you’re going to take an anti-nausea potion because this next part makes a lot of women throw up, and then you’re going to get anesthetic directly into your bloodstream, don’t panic when you stop being able to feel below your chest, all right? That’s normal, it means it’s working, but then your daughter’s going to be born rather quickly so she doesn’t get any of the potion, all right? Then she’ll go straight over there so her daemon can be born too. Same as always.”

“Ugh, that’s the worst part,” Pansy said, with a sigh. 

“Or the best part,” Thaxia said. “Depending on your point of view.”

“Oh, all right,” Pansy said, taking the potion and making a face. “That’s done.”

“Right, so I’m going to put a clip on your foot, and I want you to tell me when you can’t feel it at all,” Lexington said. “Ready?”

“Yes,” Pansy said, firmly, still holding Harry’s hand. Draco found her other.

“Okay, say when,” Lexington said.

“That’s very, very odd,” Pansy said, a moment later, then paused. “Can’t feel my hands either? Normal?”

“Completely,” Lexington said. “And your foot?”

“Nothing,” Pansy confirmed.

“Okay, baby time,” Lexington said, and Harry laughed in spite of himself.

“We _do_ manage to get ourselves into the stupidest situations,” he said.

“Oh, stuff it,” Pansy said. “This is normal.”

“Very normal,” Lexington said. “Most of the way through – and I’m just going to –“

“Hi,” Harry said, at the exceptionally loud shriek.

“That’s worse than Sirius, we’re really doomed,” Pansy said, sounding as if she was trying not to laugh and cry at the same time.

“Welcome to the world,” Lexington said, dryly, over the screaming. “Beautiful girl, guys, you’ll see her on the way over to the daemons, all right?”

“Just a few minutes,” Harry promised, because, well, someone could carry a baby past you for ten seconds, but you really couldn’t _see it_.

“Beloved daemons?” Pansy said.

“Goo-covered,” Thaxia said.

“Definitely a girl,” said Lethe.

“Didn’t Genevieve have –“ Kit murmured.

“Yes, yes, but they only share fifty percent of their gene thingies,” Thaxia said, irritably. “You’re breaking my focus. We have to have welcoming energy.”

“They’re literally the worst reporting team ever,” Harry said, with a sigh. Lexington snorted. “They’re busy doing the same thing you were a second ago. Pansy, still can’t feel anything?”

“I’m good aside from my daemon being a total prat,” Pansy said. “And neither of you better have dropped my hands.”

“Good,” Lexington said, then paused. “Hmm.”

“Pippa,” Pansy said, warningly. “We do not make noises like that when we’re looking at my uterus or whatever internal organ it is that you’re looking at.”

“Everything’s fine,” Pippa said. “Harry, I need a favor.”

“That does not sound fine,” Pansy said, sounding a little more alarmed.

“That spell you put on me earlier – is it on me or the field of vision?”

“You,” Harry said. “Please explain why quickly before we all start to panic up here.”

“The placenta’s not quite wanting to come out,” Lexington said. “But there’s absolutely no physical attachment. So I’m thinking it’s probably magical. But I can’t see that. Pansy, even if it is, it’s _not a serious problem_ , you’re safe and okay, it’s just going to take me a little bit of time. Same as if you had some fused blood vessels, okay?”

“Okay,” Pansy said, breathing in. “Okay. Magic thing. Not so bad.”

“Nope,” Draco agreed. “That’s okay. Magic thing is okay. And I’ve still got your hand.”

“Hey, we have blob,” Thaxia said, happily. “It’s kind of a – peachy-gold thing. Like the baby was.”

“Not like Hufflepuff yellow or anything, though,” Kit said, and Thaxia snorted.

“No, it’s a perfectly good pre-daemon color,” she said. “And the baby’s just watching him, she’s good, all the little monitor charms are green, the nurse gave me a thumbs up.”

“Okay, good,” Pansy said. She looked relieved. “You have to tell me if any of them turn _not_ green.”

“Okay, so I’m just going to step a bit,” Lexington said. “Harry, I need you to cast that on me, you’re on my side of the table. No one panic at the blood on my gloves, let’s all remember how much blood there is _every_ time, all right?”

“Draco, do not pass out,” Pansy warned.

“I got wobbly from emotion that _one time_ and you’re never letting me live it down,” he muttered.

“Yes, well, that’s why we’ve got Lexington, she’s the calmest human on the face of the earth,” Harry said, and she laughed, sticking her head and shoulders through the curtain. “Spell me, please?”

Harry obliged, and Pansy looked slightly murderous when there was a pause. “ _Well_?” she said.

“This is actually quite fascinating,” Lexington said. “You’re going to have to let me write a paper, I think.”

“That is my bloody uterus and liver and – stuff!” Pansy said. “There is nothing fascinating about it!” 

“I sort of want to see,” Harry mused. “However, please don’t worry, my desire to remain in one piece and to not see your insides is definitely going to win out over any curiosity. But if it were some abstract person’s uterus and liver and stuff, I’d probably want to.”

“I am going to kill _all_ of –“ Pansy said, and Thaxia made a delighted noise, diving into the bassinet.

“It’s a daemon,” she said. “And a boy like usual. We’re calling him Rhys.”

“As per usual, Thaxia steals the show,” Kit said, laughing. “Um, he’s – a fisher like her right now, I think. Isn’t he?”

“I think,” Thaxia agreed. “He’s rather light though.”

“ _Bad_ light?” Pansy said, anxiously. “Do you mean not enough blood or something?”

“No, of course not,” Thaxia said. “Like – summer when I sunbathe too much. Light fur.”

“Thaxia, you’re going to get spell-cleaned if you don’t get out of there,” Lethe warned.

“Oh, fine,” she said, hopping back to her perch on the edge. “But I’ll go back in once she’s clean.”

“Right, so congratulations on that,” Lexington said. “Pansy, I know we don’t do paternity tests with you lot, I’m not prying, but, uh, gentlemen, any idea whose she is?”

“Mine,” Harry said.

“We-ell,” Thaxia said.

“Er, she’s _supposed_ to be Harry’s,” Kit said.

“What?” Pansy said, turning her head around. “Why do you not think she’s Harry’s? I swear to God, Draco, if you were handling some stupid – celery plant of phallic fertility or something –“

“I was _not_ ,” he protested.

“ _Why do you not think she’s Harry’s?_ ” Pansy repeated.

“Well, she’s sort of blonde,” Thaxia said. “I mean – okay, very blonde.”

“Not like Alcyone or Sirius blonde though,” Kit mused. “I’m not sure.”

“Not red?” Pansy said. “Harry’s mum had red hair. It might show up since it’s a rarer color.”

“No, definitely not red,” Lethe said.

“Oh my _god_ ,” Pansy said.

“I really, really was not messing about with _anything_ ,” Draco said.

“Um, like I care,” Harry said, with a shrug. “Still my kid. Lexington, I take that back, I suppose Draco’s. Why on earth does it matter?”

“I’m just trying to sort this out,” she said. “It’s like –“ She frowned. “You’re both not really casters, a lot more like me, where you work with your hands…”

“No,” Pansy said, finally. “Look, I don’t care if she’s blonde, but I’ve gone through this four times now and the magic’s totally bloody different, she’s Harry’s. She’s been Harry’s from the moment she had any magic. She’s like a bloody magic sponge. Draco’s magic goes out in vines, almost, mine’s like arrows or if I’m casting something bigger maybe a net, Harry’s the only one who has magic that pulls _in_ and hers pulled _in_. Gemma was like that too.”

“Oh, well, there’s the trouble,” Lexington said, looking sort of relieved. “All right. Pansy, she’s gone and spent nine months making herself very comfortable with your magic, all right, only she hasn’t done it the way most babies do it where they use your magic like a current as it flows through you and they settle in, she’s gone and kept some of it around her, and she’s put _her_ magic through yours to do that, sort of like – knitting. Rather advanced for a baby, really, but it’s you lot, I’m not surprised. Harry, yours isn’t that peachy gold, right?”

“No, just actual gold, I think,” he said. “Like – the color of a galleon.”

“Yeah, that’s about right,” Draco agreed. “And a bit metallic.”

“Yeah, this is all the baby’s, that’s quite okay, your immune system’s used to her,” Lexington said. “Right, so you’re all going to hate me, I’m about to break my promise.”

“I don’t like that sort of thing, Pippa,” Pansy warned.

“You’re open, this anesthetic is perfectly fine for an open and close procedure, but it’s going to take me an hour or two to get the placenta out, I’ve got to figure out a way to magically cauterize all of this because if I just pull I have no bloody idea what’s going to happen, and I don’t want to find out. It’s going to be like undoing knitting and then sealing all the cut ends. So I need to air lock the room and do quite a bit of stuff to keep get this sterile and safe and to keep the placenta in one piece while I work on that, which means you’ve got to go under and literally everyone else has got to leave, and I’m going to get an assist from one of the neonatal surgeons.”

“Um,” Harry said, pausing. “That sounds like rather a lot.”

“Yes and no,” Pippa said. “Give me a second.” She ducked around the curtain so she could look at all of them. “Pansy, darling, I love you, and I can’t say that I’ve seen this happen before, but sometimes we see a thing where the placenta actually grows into your uterine wall and sometimes into the organs around it, and I’ve gotten through plenty of those safely and with everything coming out all right, and they can be a bit scary. This _isn’t_ as dangerous as that, it doesn’t involve your blood supply, and there’s not a risk of hemorrhage like there is from that. And your uterus is fine, there’s no need to worry about that.”

“Oh, well, good, because I’m _really_ planning on more after this,” Pansy said.

“You’ll be just fine,” Lexington said, firmly. “And Kit’s going to stay, because it’s not like he wouldn’t be passed out in the middle of the hallway, anyway. But the baby can go with Harry and Draco back to your room, all right? And you can see her and say hello before you go under.”

“And you’re sure we can’t stay,” Draco said. “Or – one of us, at least.”

“There are a lot of things in here that are keyed to me and me alone,” Lexington said. “Honestly, it’s so no one else can go messing around with them. But I’ve got to do a lot of casting rather quickly and they only know how to ignore my patient and the assistants. So yeah, you’ve got to go with the baby. But I’ll take good care of her, all right?”

“All right,” Draco said, slowly. “If you do anything to my wife, please bear in mind that I know every lethal poison there is. Including all the ones that kill you slowly and miserably.”

“Not helping,” Harry murmured, reaching to squeeze Pansy’s shoulder, so she could feel it. “We’ll see you in a little bit, love, okay?”

“Okay,” Pansy said, though it sounded a bit more like a squeak. “I want to see her, though.”

“Absolutely,” Lexington said. “Thaxia, if you push that lever, it’s actually keyed to go back to your room. And she’s on plenty of monitors, so everyone will be there in a hurry if there’s any trouble, but she looks fine to me.”

“Rhys looks good, he’s watching all of us,” Lethe said. “I’m not worried.”

“Lethe can hit it, I’m getting in,” Thaxia said, going to curl up around the baby.

“Here, Pansy,” Lethe said, following the bassinet over, and Pansy squeaked again.

“You can pick her up if you’d like, guys,” Lexington said, and Draco brought her carefully out of the bassinet and lifted her to touch Pansy’s cheek.

“She’s perfect,” she said, laughing and crying at the same time. “And _very_ bloody blonde, Harry. It’s a good thing for your stupid magnet magic or I’d be chopping up Draco with an axe.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Harry said, dryly. “Come on. We’ll be right there when you wake up, all right? Pippa, take care of our girl. Kit, you too.”

“Of course I will,” Lexington said, sounding a bit offended.

“Bye,” Pansy said, in a very small voice.

“Love you, stop that,” Harry said, with a smile.

“Love you, darling,” Draco repeated, firmly. “See you in a little bit.”

“Well,” Harry said, once they’d gotten to the hall.

“Please tell me you’re playing it cool and you’re on the verge of throwing up all over the hallway,” Draco said, a little unsteady.

“Yeah, about four hundred percent,” Harry agreed, reaching to grab him in a long hug. The baby made a noise of protest between them.

“You’re already too much trouble by half,” Draco said. “Your sister didn’t pull any of this nonsense.”

“Dunno,” Harry said. “It could be like that weird blood group thing they always test us for where it only matters for the second baby. I’m sure Pippa will write eighteen thousand papers and figure it out. Thaxia, how’s he doing?”

“Fine,” Thaxia said, curled up around him. “Bring her back closer, though, you know their range isn’t very far when they’re so small.”

“Yes, we’ve held absolutely none of these before,” Draco said, dryly, but he handed the baby to Harry. “She’s -“ He laughed, looking down at her. “I was going to say she had your eyes, but she hasn’t, and she hasn’t Pansy’s either, they’re sort of halfway between. But she does look like you.”

“Maybe it’s like with the daemons, you know,” Thaxia said. “It’s all three of ours.”

“Yes, maybe Draco’s magic dyed her hair,” Harry said, laughing. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to pick the name again.”

“Why’s that?” Draco said.

“Well, you know, the whole star or constellation thing is sort of consistently… Black,” Harry pointed out. “Hence Alcyone and Sirius.” 

Draco snorted. “And we’ve made absolutely none of it public and honestly, if either of those two had gotten Pansy’s hair or if Gemma hadn’t gotten your eyes, no one would have the faintest clue. And they shouldn’t, because _we_ don’t care.”

“All right, everyone can think we’ve got three Malfoys,” Harry said, laughing. “Leona it is.”

“Still hadn’t settled on a middle, though,” Draco said. “Although assuming she pulls this off and Pansy’s fine in an hour or two, I think Leona Penelope sounds decent.”

“All in,” Harry agreed. “Rhys, eh?”

“Yes, Rhys,” Thaxia said, firmly. “You have your theme, we have ours, and if we’re just going to shorten all of them anyway, why not make it something reasonable?”

“That’s Kit,” Draco said, dryly.

“He can be persuasive,” Lethe mused. “Plus mine’s short and I like it.”

“It’s also, you know, a mythical river of forgetfulness,” Draco said, dryly.

“Oh, shut up,” Lethe said. “Rhys is a perfectly good name for a daemon. And it sounds nice with Leona. And they’ve _got_ to be short with you lot and your fondness for insanely long names.”

“Leona Pippa just sounds idiotic,” Draco said.

“Agreed,” Harry said. “Want to go pace around the room and pretend we don’t feel like we’re dying?”

“Yeah,” Draco said. “D’you mind if we wait until she’s awake to go hassle with everyone else?”

“No,” Harry said, firmly. “I can’t even focus on the baby.” He set her back in her bassinet, letting Thaxia snuggle in. “Why aren’t you lot stressed too?”

“It’s Pippa,” Lethe said. “Pansy trusts her, so I trust her. Besides, Kit wasn’t worried.”

“I mean, of all the stupid medical things that have happened in – I don’t know, forever,” Thaxia said, “this one is with two doctors, in hospital, and a billion monitors, and _more_ doctors if they need them, so really, I think it’s all right.”

“I didn’t find that remotely convincing,” Harry said, dubiously.

“Me either,” Draco said, with a sigh. “Pacing it is.”

Leona was a little fussy, but she seemed perfectly content with Thaxia and Lethe, and Harry only felt like he started breathing again when Lexington came in, looking pleased.

“It was a bit of a trick, but it’s all done, and everything ought to be healed up by tomorrow morning, though you know the drill with rest,” she said, making a small noise of protest when Harry swept her off her feet in a hug.

“Get a hold of yourself,” she scolded. “I’d have told you if there was any actual danger.”

“Yes, and you’d still worry like hell if it was King on the table, now wouldn’t you?” Draco said.

She rolled her eyes. “Well, it’d be me, and I’m unlikely to get into that sort of mess because I haven’t got the magical power Pansy has and he hasn’t got anything like either of yours.”

She glanced in the bassinet, with a smile. “She looks good,” she said. “And so does the mini-Thaxia.”

“Leona and Rhys,” Harry said. “Penelope for the middle, if it’s all right by you.”

“One, it’s an awful name, and two, I only did my job,” she said, but she looked pleased.

“Well, we figure doing it four times is enough to earn some sort of recognition,” Harry said, laughing softly. “Is Pansy in recovery? Can we see her?”

“God, no,” Lexington said. “Do you think I’m a complete idiot? She’ll tear the entire hospital down if the baby isn’t the first thing she sees when she wakes up. She’ll be here in a minute or two once they finish the magical scans and reopen the theater. I don’t know how long it’ll take her and Kit to wake up, but honestly, she might go from still under to sleeping, she’s absolutely exhausted.”

She paused. “And since I _know_ you lot, don’t jostle any of her monitoring charms when you enlarge the damn bed, and bear in mind that she’s going to be very sore until at least tomorrow.”

“I’d apologize, but we’re really never sorry,” Harry said, and heaved a sigh of relief when one of the nurses wheeled Pansy back in. She was pale, but she mostly just looked _asleep_ , which Harry was rather okay with considering all the possible alternatives. Kit was sleeping on a second bed.

“I don’t normally endorse this sort of thing, but she’s going to be a little disoriented, and I’d rather she not blow up my new wing,” Lexington said. “So I’m going to go find quite a lot of Granger’s coffee, with the knowledge that I’ll know if any of the monitoring charms go off, and I’d suggest letting her wake up however she’s used to. With the baby nearby.”

“Slytherin,” Harry said, fondly. “We’ll see you in a bit, yeah?”

Lexington waved, checking the charms again, and Draco made the bed bigger, climbing very gingerly onto Pansy’s side. “Hand me the baby, then get Kit?” he offered.

“Sure,” Harry said, picking her up. For all the trouble, she’d been quiet – at least compared to Sirius, who had screamed his lungs out for the first two days – and mostly seemed fascinated by Rhys. “Thaxia?”

“Got him,” Thaxia said, scruffing Rhys and hopping over next to Draco, where she tucked him next to Pansy’s shoulder, letting Harry pass over Leona. “You’d better have left enough room for all of us.”

“I always do,” Draco said, laughing softly, and let her curl up around the baby again. Harry lifted Kit carefully to the foot of the bed, making sure he was touching Pansy’s feet, and pulled down a rail so Lethe could jump up and he could climb in.

“Thank god they make these things to hold plenty of weight,” he said, dryly.

“I’m reasonably certain that combined we don’t make up a half giant,” Draco said.

Harry yawned. “I’m just gonna,” he said, settling his face against Pansy’s shoulder.

“Lightweight,” Draco said.

“Too much adrenaline,” Harry countered. “There are like four thousand charms on this damn bed to make sure the baby doesn’t fall or get into the wrong position or anything. We can nap.”

Thaxia sniffed. “Like we need charms. We’ve got me and Lethe. Well, and Kit, he’s just not up yet.”

“When you fall asleep before Harry does, I’ll make sure you don’t drop the baby,” Lethe agreed, and Draco snorted.

“I’ll be right here where I always sleep so Pansy knows it’s safe,” Thaxia said, firmly. “I just have Rhys too.”

When Harry woke a few hours later, the lights were dim – though not out – and Pansy was grabbing for his hand. “Harry?” she said, tentatively. “Draco? Kit?”

“Right here,” Harry said, waving a hand to set off a few of his glow charms; these days, they always looked like floating, glowing flower globes from the moon garden.

“Where’s –“ Pansy started, voice going up in pitch, and Harry squeezed her shoulder.

“We’re all right here, sweetheart,” he said, softly. “You were asleep, but you’re out of surgery, and Leona’s right here too. And Thaxia and Rhys, that’s what they’re calling him. And Draco.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Everyone’s just sleeping.” He smiled. “Well. Maybe not everyone.”

“Oh,” Pansy said, startled, looking drowsy, but Harry ran a hand through her hair and she blinked at him for a moment before looking at Leona, who was looking at the lights.

“I don’t –“ she murmured, and Harry kissed her temple again. “It’s okay. Pippa said you might not. They had to put you under, there were some complications, but Leona’s absolutely perfect and you’re healing up. She just came by to check a bit ago.”

“She’s okay?” Pansy said, reaching out tentatively to settle a hand against the blanket Leona was wrapped in. “And her daemon?”

“She’s a little bit of a trouble maker when it comes to magic,” Harry said, ruefully. “But ten fingers and ten toes and good scores across the board and he’s fine too. Asleep on Thaxia, see?”

Pansy started to laugh, then winced. “Ow,” she said. “Harry, how on earth did we make a blonde baby?”

“I haven’t the faintest,” Harry admitted. “Maybe something from my mother’s side. I suppose Gemma’s going to be the odd one out.”

“Trouble,” Pansy said, fondly. “She’s just right, though.”

Harry laughed. “She hasn’t cried since we got back here,” he said. “I think she’s attempting to make up for her utterly demanding entrance into the world.”

“Yes, well, she’s half you,” Pansy said, dryly. “Gemma was easy aside from all the weird magic.”

“See, Leona, you’ve gotten that off to a good start,” Harry said, letting her grab his finger. “But in the future, maybe less drama. And no hurting your mum.”

“The potions and anesthesia and things –“ Pansy said. “D’you know if I’m okay to feed her? She hasn’t eaten?”

“Pippa said yes, if you felt up to it, and if not, they’ve got the bioaccurate formula,” Harry said. “Something about there being no rush until your milk really comes in, which won’t happen tonight.”

Pansy laughed. “I know, but starting early is important,” she said, shifting a little with another wince. “And I suppose she’s probably hungry by now. Can you get me out of this bloody hospital gown?”

“Probably,” Harry said, laughing, and undid the tie, undoing the magical seams as Pansy leaned forward a little. He pulled off his sweater, transfiguring it into a blanket to wrap around her shoulders, and Thaxia cuddled a little closer.

“Draco might wake up,” Pansy said, when Harry reached to hand her the baby, and he laughed. 

“I don’t think so, we’ve both been worried sick all week and worse tonight,” he said. “But you know how light of a sleeper I am. We’ll wake him soon.”

“Kit’s not up either,” she observed, settling in with the baby. “Excuse me if I swear like eighty times, this is never any fun for the first few days. They’ve all been awful at it.”

Harry snorted. “Yeah, I’ve no recollection of that from the last three,” he teased, stroking her hair and leaning to kiss her forehead. “But don’t overdo it.”

“I won’t, but it’s – I need to,” Pansy said. “I mean, partially because I’m going to get physically uncomfortable eventually, and partially because it’s important.”

“Pansy, I didn’t forget the other four million lectures,” Harry said, laughing. “Or the other million from Hermione.”

“Yes, well,” she said, making a face, and then blinked, stroking Leona’s cheek as she started to nurse. “Prove me wrong, then, why don’t you.”

Harry laughed. “You’re the one who’s always telling me about the back and forth magic exchange,” he teased. “Maybe she misses yours a bit more than usual.”

“Yes, that wasn’t the best trick,” Pansy agreed. “You’re going to have to learn not to behave like your father.”

“Hey, hardly my fault,” Harry said, laughing. “Gemma was perfectly well behaved.”

“Yes, well, Gemma doesn’t have nearly as much of your magic,” Pansy observed. “Honestly, I do wonder sometimes if she snagged Draco’s. God knows hers is more similar to his than Alcyone’s.”

“You know, I know we _say_ they’re all ours, and I mean it, no questions asked,” Harry said. “But I do wonder sometimes if the – whole three daemons thing turns it into a three person affair. They’ve all got things from all of us, unless I’m imagining it.” He grinned. “Aside from Alcyone. She’s just you in a Malfoy costume.”

Pansy snorted. “She’s actually far more Slytherin than I’ll ever be,” she admitted. “Not in a bad way, just –“ She shook her head, stroking Leona’s cheek, and laughed again. “She’s twelve years old and she thinks messing with Narcissa and Lucius because they’re so awful is _fun_. And she and Gemma have Draco utterly foxed on the whole sleeping in the same room situation, but I’m not about to tell him.”

“I may or may not thoroughly enjoy the thing where she pretends his parents too unimportant to be bothered with,” Harry said, wryly. “Though I suppose we shouldn’t encourage her to be a snob.”

“That’s actually all you,” Pansy said, laughing. “The casually cold brush off? You’re rather excellent at that if you’re uninterested in someone’s attention.”

“I used to be,” Harry said, laughing. “I’m much worse at putting up walls these days. And much happier for it.”

“Oh, you can still do it,” Draco said, drowsily, leaning to kiss Pansy’s temple. He laughed. “What was it? ‘I can tell the wrong kind for myself, thank you’?”

“You know, I honestly don’t remember,” Harry said, laughing. “On the other hand, I’m glad we weren’t friends, then we wouldn’t have Pansy. Or squidlets one through four.”

“Speaking of,” Draco said, yawning. “Someone’s told the girls everything is all right and they have a new sister?”

“Yes,” Harry said, dryly. “Bill and Pippa sneaked them by the window to our room earlier while we were all asleep. Well, I started out asleep, anyway. And then I faked it because I wasn’t about to move. Sirius is, according to Teddy, asleep like a starfish in literally the middle of their bed, but he said no one was sleeping anyway.”

“I’m almost positive literally everyone is in the waiting room,” Draco said, dryly. “And I’m not letting anyone in here unless Pansy wants them or it’s Pippa.”

“I do want the girls, but –“ she made a face. “They always hug me, and they’ll be afraid if I tell them it hurts, so maybe we’ll just wait until morning when my incision’s done healing. Then I’ll just be the normal amount of sore.”

“Pippa said she’d be back to do a check in –“ Harry glanced at his watch. “Well, it’ll be about twenty minutes.”

“Kit’s okay?” Draco said.

“Regular asleep,” Pansy said. “He always gets so bloody stressed out about these things.”

“Oh, well,” Harry said, laughing. “Having a baby, such a minor occurrence, can’t imagine why he would. Especially since you’re the one in labor and delivering said baby.”

“I’m not asleep,” Thaxia whispered. “I’m just holding very still and thinking about our family so he knows he’s got a good one.”

Harry laughed. “He’s a few hours old, I think for a while he may not be too worried about much other than whether Leona eats.”

“Maybe,” Thaxia said. “You never know. Is she almost done eating, Pansy? He’s been on me, they’d probably like to cuddle.”

“He sticks out like a sore thumb on Thaxia,” Draco said, laughing. “I mean, I know plenty of brown haired children are blonde when they’re younger, but his coloring is making me a bit dubious about that.”

“I have no idea,” Pansy said. “I mean – look at the Blacks in that generation, four with black hair and one blonde. Stranger things have happened. Poor Genevieve, though, I think she was looking forward to not being the odd one out.”

“Ugh, don’t compare her to my mother,” Draco said, leaning to kiss the top of her head. “I mean, she’ll be the only one with an odd middle name. We’re doing Penelope if it’s all right with you.”

“People are going to be idiots about it regardless,” Harry said. “I mean – it would be nice of none of them looked anything like us, but wizarding genetics aren’t very helpful on that front.”

“Penelope sounds perfect, and I don’t care, we have a healthy baby who isn’t screaming,” Pansy said, wrapping the blanket a little more firmly around herself. “Here, Thaxia, if you want to wake him.”

Rhys very unsteadily – with some gentle nudging from Thaxia and a bit of a boost from Pansy – went to sit on Leona’s chest, leaving the two of them watching each other.

Draco laughed. “It’s funny, you think you’d get used to it, but they’re all totally different, aren’t they? Remember how Gemma and Kerr wouldn’t let go of each other for days? What did he turn himself into again? A lizard?”

“A gecko,” Harry said, laughing. “So he could have those grippy feet.”

Leona reached a hand up to close it in Rhys’ fur, making a tiny noise of contentment. Her eyes started to flutter closed.

“Quick, put a silencing bubble charm on them,” Harry said, laughing. “Otherwise Pippa’s going to wake her up and she might decide to pull a Sirius.”

“I think Sirius is the only Sirius we’re going to get,” Pansy said, fondly. “But it’d be exceptionally boring without him. And four girls? Good god.”

“I didn’t mind in the least about Sirius or her,” Draco admitted. “I’ll admit I was sort of rooting for the girls to, well, be girls.”

“I will never forget the look on your father’s place when you mentioned that we weren’t switching Sirius and Alcyone in succession order,” Harry said, laughing.

“Or when you mentioned that if it was good enough for muggle royalty, it ought to be good enough for us,” Draco said.

“You lot are awful,” Pansy said. “Oh, good, she’s asleep.” She paused. “And grabbing my magic like a bloody security blanket. At least it’s not from behind my gallbladder or something.”

“Well, aside from that bit, I think she’s pretty bloody perfect,” Draco said, leaning for a kiss from Harry.

“They all are,” Harry said, laughing. “Good job, team?”

“You mean good job, Pansy,” Pansy said, laughing. “Incubating all your magical leeches and squids.”

“Okay,” Harry said, laughing. “Good job Pansy on getting them into the world safely and putting up with their torment for nine months each, good job us for making brilliant babies. And Thaxia and Kit and Lethe for making excellent daemons.”

“Better,” Pansy said, with a smile. “They are pretty brilliant.”

“And excellent,” Harry added.

“ _Accio_ family?” Draco said, with a grin.

“Definitely,” Harry said, laughing. “ _Accio_ family it is.”


End file.
